Sir Alex Ferguson has taken disciplinary action against Cristiano Ronaldo after the headbutt offence that prompted the second red card of the Portugal winger’s career in Manchester United’s 1-1 draw with Portsmouth on Wednesday.
Ronaldo is to miss United’s next three matches, starting with Sunday’s derby at Manchester City, and Ferguson intends to impose a mandatory club fine. Under PFA guidelines, the maximum is two weeks’ wages, which means Ronaldo could be docked around £230,000. Ferguson believes Ronaldo was “provoked” but was incensed by the player’s rash response. [Guardian]
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Manchester United suffered a 0-1 shock defeat in the Manchester derby on Sunday (August 19); Brazilian midfielder Geovanni scored the only goal for Manchester City to clinch the victory.